aftercare
The first fourteen days
InkLore editorial · 4 min read
A plain-language aftercare baseline for a fresh tattoo, and the warning signs worth a message to your artist.
Follow the instructions of the person who tattooed you. They saw the piece, the skin and the ink. The notes below are a baseline for comparing against what they told you, not a replacement.
Wash gently with lukewarm water and unscented soap, pat dry with a clean towel or paper, and keep the area moisturised thinly rather than heavily. Avoid soaking — baths, swimming, saunas — while the surface is still open, and keep the fresh work out of direct sun.
Contact your artist if the area spreads redness after day three, if it feels hot, if there is pus, or if you get a fever. Those are not normal healing and are better checked early.
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